Anti-clogging device for downspouts and similar drains



J. SRVADON Sept. 12, 1967 ANTi-CLOGGING DEVICE FOR DOWNSPOUTS AND SIMILAR DRAINS 2 Sheets-Sheet .1

Filed May 16, 1966 INVENTOR Jo/m .Sl'vadan ATTORNEY J. SIVADON 3,341,020

GINO DEVICE FOR DOWNSPOUTS AND SIMILAR DRAINS Sept. 12, 1967 ANTI-CLOG Filed May 16, 1966 INVENTOR John Sivadbn ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,341,020 ANTI-CLOGGING DEVICE FOR DOWNSPOUTS AND SIMILAR DRAINS John Sivadon, Meridian, Tex. 76665 Filed May 16, 1966, Ser. No. 550,419 8 Claims. (Cl. 210-163) The present invention relates to trash excluding devices for roof drains and the like, and has for its principal object the provision of a relatively simple and inexpensive device of this character which may be readily inserted in or attached to the inlet portion of a down-spout or similar drain and there prevent or materially reduce the entry of leaves and/or other debris into the drain. The device includes a wind actuated means which automatically clears trash from its water passages and thus it is adapted to function efiiciently at all times.

One form of the device is illustrated in the accompanying drawings constituting a part of this specification, wherein like reference characters designate like parts in all the views, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the device showing it mounted in the inlet portion of a conventional flatroof drain;

FIG. 2 is a central vertical sectional view of the device, partly in elevation;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional-elevational view of the upper portion of the device, showing the mounting of the passage-clearing element;

FIG. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the plane indicated by the line 44 in FIG. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view, on an enlarged scale, on the line 55 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional-elevational view illustrating the application of the device to the down-spout of an eaves trough or gutter.

Referring to the said drawings in greater detail, the trash-excluding device 10 comprises a cylindrical housing 12, of metal or other suitable material, which is closed at the top by a cap member 14 having a continuous circumferential lip 16 adapted to seat on the upper edge 18 of the said housing. The cap 14 is also provided with a depending flange 20 which extends into the upper end of the housing and bears against the inner surface thereof, as best seen in FIG. 3. If desired, the cap 14 may be press-fitted on the cylindrical housing 12, or it may be permanently secured thereto by any suitable means.

The cap 14 is shown as of coniform cross section and its apex is provided with an opening 22 in which is fixedly mounted a sealed bearing member 24 which rotatably supports a vertical shaft 26 disposed axially of the housing. The lower end of the cylindrical housing 12 is open, and its peripheral wall is provided with two vertical series of elongated horizontal slots 28, as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. The said slots provide passages through which the water may enter the housing and it will be noted that except for the sectors 30 the horizontally alined pairs of slots extend through substantially the entire housing circumference. The slots 28 are in such numbers and of such cross sectional area as provide an entrance capacity which is in excess of that of the roof drain so as to not impose undue restriction upon the flow of water from the roof to the drain.

The upper end of the shaft 26 extends above the bearing 24 and fixedly carries a member 32 from which extends a plurality of arcuately spaced horizontal arms 34, each of which has a hemispherical cup member 36 secured to its outer end. This structure is similar to that of the well known Robinson anemometer and provides a simple but effective wind actuated impeller means adapted to impart circumferential movement to said shaft That portion of the shaft 26 which is disposed Within the housing 12 carries a plurality of horizontally extending rods 38 which are alined with and project through the water passages 28, as will be readily understood from FIGS. 1, 2 and 5. A-rcuate movement of said rods 38 in the slots 28, imparted thereto by the wind operable impeller means, tends to prevent accumulation of leaves or similar debris around the housing and reduce entry thereof into the slots and drain, as well as to dislodge or disintegrate any such material as may perchance enter the slots and become caught therein.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, it will be seen that the upper portion of the shaft 26 just below the bearing 24 is provided with another rod 40 which extends to either side thereof and has biasing members 42 connected to its outer ends. The said members are here shown as tension coil springs, although any other equivalent biasing means may be employed. The said springs tend to normally maintain' the shaft in a predetermined position wherein the rods 38 are disposed more or less in the central portions of the elongated slots 28, as shown in full lines in FIG. 5. The outer ends of the springs 42 are secured to ears or lugs 44 depending from the interior of the cap 14.

Referring to FIG. 6, an eaves trough or gutter 46 of conventional design is shown as attached to the side wall 48 of a building structure having a slanting roof 50, and a down-spout or drain pipe 52 is connected to the bottom of said gutter and extends downwardly therefrom to carry away the water discharged into the gutter from said roof.

The anti-clogging device may be readily installed in either of the structural situations depicted respectively in FIGS. 1 and 6 by merely inserting the lower end portion of the housing 12 into the open upper end of the down-spout or drain 52, where it is retained by the frictional engagement of the parts. Rain storms usually are accompanied by winds of varying velocities adequate to actuate the impeller mechanism 34, 36 but irrespective of whether it be raining or not, whenever the wind blows with a force sufiicient to cause said impeller means to overcome the resistance of the springs 42, arcuate movement will be imparted to the shaft 26 and rods 38, as indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 5. The resilient means 42 of course constantlytend to return the said rods to their neutral positions and thus as the wind force varies the rods will be oscillated in their respective slots 28 in the housing wall, thereby dislodging and tending to disintegrate any leaves or debris which may have accumulated about the housing and perhaps caught in the slots 28.

It will be obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction as well as the precise arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention, and therefore it is not wished to be limited to the above disclosure except as may be required by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An anti-clogging device for down-spouts and similar drains, comprising a housing which is adapted to be connected to the drain, said housing having a perimetral wall which is provided with a plurality of circumferentiafly elongated passages through which water may pass to the drain; a shaft rotatably mounted in said housing, and provide-d with means extending into said passages for movement therein to clear them of leaves and similar debris which may become lodged therein; rotatably yieldable means connected to said clearing means and tending to normally maintain such means in a predetermined position in the passages; and wind operable means connected to said shaft and arranged to intermittently impart movement thereto, whereby to move the clearing means from said predetermined position in the water passages against the action of said yiel-dable means, which latter means returns the clearing means to said position when the wind operated means ceases to function.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a vertically disposed tubular member the lower portion of which is insertable into the intake portion of the drain for frictional retention therein.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the shaft is disposed axially of the housing, and the clearing means comprise horizontal members extending laterally therefrom to and through said elongated openings in the housing wall.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the upper end of the tubular housing is provided with a cap having a bearing which journals and supports the axially extending shaft.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein the yieldable means comprise resilient members having connections with the shaft and the housing whereby to yieldably maintain the clearing members in their normal predetermined position in the elongated circumferential openings of the housing.

6. The device of claim 3, wherein the yieldable means comprise a plurality of tension springs each having one end connected to the shaft and the other end connected to a portion of the housing, whereby the shaft-carried clearing members may be moved from their predetermined positions in the housing openings by the wind operable means, and returned to said positions by the springs when the wind operable means ceases to function.

7. The device of claim 4, wherein the portion of the shaft above the housing cap has a plurality of radial arms secured thereto, each of which arms has a hemispherical wind'catching cup at its outer end.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the wind operable means comprises a plurality of horizontal arms extending laterally from the shaft, and each having a hemispherical cup mounted on its outer end.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,852,873 4/1932 Berger 210-415 X REUBEN FRIEDMAN, Primary Examiner. F. MEDLEY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN ANTI-CLOGGING DEVICE FOR DOWN-SPOUTS AND SIMILARDRAINS, COMPRISING A HOUSING WHICH IS ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO THE DRAIN, SAID HOUSING HAVING A PERIMETRAL WALL WHICH PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ELONGATED PASSAGES THROUGH WHICH WATER MAY PASS TO THE DRAIN; A SHAFT ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING, AND PROVIDED WITH MEANS EXTENDING INTO SAID PASSAGES FOR MOVEMENT THEREIN TO CLEAR THEM OF LEAVES AND SIMILAR DEBRIS WHICH MAY BECOME LODGED THEREIN; ROTATABLY YIELDABLE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID CLEARING MEANS AND TENDING TO NORMALLY MAINTAIN SUCH MEANS IN A PREDETERMINED POSITION IN THE PASSAGES; AND WIND OPERABLE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SHAFT AND ARRANGED TO INTERMITTENTLY IMPART MOVEMENT THERETO, WHEREBY TO MOVE THE CLEARING MEANS FROM SAID PREDETERMINED POSITION IN THE WATER PASSAGES AGAINST THE ACTION OF SAID YIELDABLE MEANS, WHICH LATTER MEANS RETURNS THE CLEARING MEANS TO SAID POSITION WHEN THE WIND OPERATED MEANS CEASES TO FUNCTION. 